Ceramic electronic component

ABSTRACT

A ceramic electronic component includes a dielectric layer and an electrode layer. The dielectric layer contains a plurality of ceramic particles and grain boundary phases present therebetween. A main component of the ceramic particles is barium titanate. An average thickness of the grain boundary phases is 1.0 nm or more. A thickness variation σ of the grain boundary phases is 0.1 nm or less.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a ceramic electronic component.

2. Description of the Related Art

Ceramic electronic components are widely utilized as miniature, highperformance, and high reliability electronic components, and a largenumber thereof are used in electrical apparatuses and electronicapparatuses. In recent years, requirements for miniaturization, higherperformance, and higher reliability of ceramic electronic componentshave been more and more severe due to the miniaturization andincreasingly high performance of electrical apparatuses and electronicapparatuses.

In response to such requirements, Patent Document 1 discloses amultilayer ceramic capacitor attempting to improve its reliability suchas dielectric breakdown voltage by adopting a specific relationshipbetween a BET value of a raw material powder of barium titanate and aBET value of a raw material powder of a dielectric ceramic composition.However, a further improvement in high-temperature load lifetime is nowrequired. Furthermore, smaller variation of high-temperature loadlifetime is also required.

Patent Document 1: JP 2006-290675 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. It isan object of the invention to provide a ceramic electronic componentthat achieves improvement in high-temperature load lifetime andreduction in variation of high-temperature load lifetime and has highreliability.

The present inventors have studied to overcome the above problems, andhave focused on a thickness of a grain boundary phase present between aplurality of ceramic particles in a dielectric layer of a ceramicelectronic component. Then, the present inventors have found out thatsetting an average thickness of the grain boundary phases and athickness variation σ of the grain boundary phases within specificranges can improve high-temperature load lifetime, reduce variation ofhigh-temperature load lifetime, and consequently enhance reliability.The present invention has been accordingly accomplished.

The ceramic electronic component according to the present invention isspecifically a ceramic electronic component including a dielectric layerand an electrode layer, wherein

the dielectric layer contains a plurality of ceramic particles and grainboundary phases present therebetween,

a main component of the ceramic particles is barium titanate,

an average thickness of the grain boundary phases is 1.0 nm or more, and

a thickness variation σ of the grain boundary phases is 0.1 nm or less.

Preferably, the dielectric layer contains barium titanate, yttrium,magnesium, chromium, vanadium, calcium, and silicon and

an amount of the yttrium is 1.0 to 1.5 mol parts in terms of Y₂O₃, anamount of the magnesium is 1.8 to 2.5 mol parts in terms of MgO, anamount of the chromium is 0.2 to 0.7 mol parts in terms of Cr₂O₃, anamount of the vanadium is 0.05 to 0.2 mol parts in terms of V₂O₅, anamount of the calcium is 0.5 to 2.0 mol parts in terms of CaO, and anamount of the silicon is 1.65 to 3.0 mol parts in terms of SiO₂,provided that an amount of the barium titanate is 100 mol parts in termsof BaTiO₃.

Preferably, d50 of the ceramic particles is 0.47 μm or less.

Preferably, the dielectric layer contains a rare earth element “R” andsilicon, and a value of an amount of the “R” in terms of R₂O₃ divided byan amount of the silicon in terms of SiO₂ is 0.40 or more and 0.79 orless.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a multilayer ceramic capacitoraccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a pattern diagram showing ceramic particles and a grainboundary phase in a dielectric layer.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of Weibull plotting.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be described below based on an embodimentshown in the drawing.

Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor 1

As shown in FIG. 1, a multilayer ceramic capacitor 1 according to anembodiment of the present invention includes a capacitor element body 10having a configuration in which dielectric layers 2 and internalelectrode layers 3 are alternately laminated. The internal electrodelayers 3 are laminated such that each of their end surfaces isalternately exposed on surfaces of the opposing two ends of thecapacitor element body 10. The pair of external electrodes 4 is formedon both ends of the capacitor element body 10, and is connected to theexposed end surfaces of the alternately disposed internal electrodelayers 3 to configure a capacitor circuit.

The capacitor element body 10 has any shape, but normally has arectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in FIG. 1. The capacitorelement body 10 has any size appropriately determined according toapplication.

Dielectric Layer 2

The dielectric layer 2 has grain boundary phases present between atleast a plurality of ceramic particles and a plurality of ceramicparticles. A main component of the ceramic particles is barium titanate.Incidentally, “a main component of the ceramic particles is bariumtitanate” means that an amount of barium titanate with respect to theentire ceramic particles is 90 wt % or more.

The barium titanate used in the present embodiment is expressed by acomposition formula of Ba_(n)TiO_(2+n). Neither “n” nor a mole ratio ofBa/Ti is limited, but barium titanate in which “n” satisfies0.995≦n≦1.010, and the mole ratio of Ba and Ti satisfies0.995≦Ba/Ti≦1.010 can be favorably used. Hereinafter, the compositionformula of barium titanate will be simply described as BaTiO₃.

When the dielectric layer 2 of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 1according to the present embodiment is magnified, a grain boundary phase20 is present between a ceramic particle 12 and a ceramic particle 12′,as shown in FIG. 2. The dielectric layer 2 of the multilayer ceramiccapacitor 1 according to the present embodiment has the grain boundaryphases 20 whose average thickness is 1.0 nm or more and thicknessvariation 6 is 0.1 nm or less.

High-temperature load lifetime is significantly improved by setting anaverage thickness of the grain boundary phases 20 to 1.0 nm or more.Furthermore, variation of high-temperature load lifetime can becontrolled to be small by setting a thickness variation σ of the grainboundary phases 20 to 0.1 nm or less. Incidentally, there is no upperlimit for an average thickness of the grain boundary phases 20, but itis normally 1.5 nm or less and is preferably 1.2 nm or less.

A thickness of the grain boundary phase 20 is measured by any method,and can be measured by the following method, for example.

A thickness of the grain boundary phase 20 can be subjected to visualobservation to be measured by observing a cross section of thedielectric layer 2 with STEM and taking a photograph used formeasurement of a thickness of the grain boundary phase 20 as shown inFIG. 2. Incidentally, neither magnification of STEM nor visual fieldarea is limited, and a visual field area of (15 to 25 nm)×(15 to 25 nm)by a magnification of 5 million to 10 million can be employed, forexample.

Furthermore, an average thickness of the grain boundary phases 20 can becalculated by observing a plurality of visual fields using STEM andaveraging thicknesses of the grain boundary phases 20 measured at therespective visual fields.

Furthermore, a standard deviation of the thicknesses of the plurality ofgrain boundary phases 20 is the thickness variation 6. The number of thevisual fields for calculating the average thickness and thicknessvariation σ of the grain boundary phase 20 is at least 5 or more, and ispreferably 10 or more.

The average thickness and thickness variation σ of the grain boundaryphase 20 are controlled by any method, such as a method of controlling acomposition of the dielectric layer 2 and a method of controllingmanufacturing conditions (firing condition etc.) of the dielectric layer2. The average thickness and thickness variation σ of the grain boundaryphase 20 can be also controlled by another method of controlling adispersion state of additives.

High-temperature load lifetime is measured and evaluated by any method.Hereinafter, an evaluation method by Weibull distribution will bedescribed as a method of evaluating variation of high-temperature loadlifetime.

According to Weibull distribution, a failure rate λ(t) with respect to atime “t” is represented by Formula (1) shown below, where “m” is aWeibull coefficient, and a is a scale parameter.λ(t)=(m/α ^(m))×t ^(m-1)  Formula (1)

When m<1 is satisfied, Formula (1) shows that the failure rate becomessmaller along with the time. When m=1 is satisfied, Formula (1) showsthat the failure rate is constant with respect to the time. When m>1 issatisfied, Formula (1) shows that the failure rate becomes larger alongwith the time. Hereinafter, a calculation method of the Weibullcoefficient “m” will be described.

A reliability (probability not to break down) R(t) of a product havingthe above failure rate λ(t) is represented by Formula (2) shown below.R(t)=exp{−(t/α)^(m)}  Formula (2)

Then, an unreliability (cumulative failure rate) F(t) is represented byFormula (3) shown below.F(t)=1−R(t)=1−exp{−(t/α)^(m)}  Formula (3)

Now, Formula (4) shown below is obtained by transforming Formula (3).ln [ln {1/(1−F(t))}]=m ln t−m ln α  Formula (4)

Now, Formula (5) shown below is obtained in case of y=ln [ln{1/(1−F(t))}] and x=ln t.y=mx−m ln α  Formula (5)

That is, a linear line is obtained by plotting y=ln [ln {1/(1−F(t))}]with respect to x=ln t, and the Weibull coefficient “m” can becalculated from a gradient of the linear line. This approach is aWeibull plotting.

In the present embodiment, the Weibull coefficient “m” can be obtainedby measuring high-temperature load lifetime of a plurality of themultilayer ceramic capacitors 1 (“t” of Formulae shown above) and bysubjecting the measured result to the Weibull plotting. The Weibullplotting is carried out by any method. In addition to a method ofcalculating “m” by plotting test results on a Weibull probability paper,a computer program for calculating the Weibull coefficient “m” byautomatically performing the Weibull plotting after inputting testresults has been widely used. A schematic view of the Weibull plottingis exemplified in FIG. 3.

In case of m>1, the larger the Weibull coefficient “m” is, the morerapidly the unreliability (cumulative failure rate) F(t) increases neara time “t”. That is, the larger the Weibull coefficient “m” is, thesmaller variation of a time to breakdown of each product is.

In FIG. 3, F(t) increases rapidly near a time (t) in case of m=3compared with case of m=1.5. That is, when “m” is large, many productsbreak down at the same time near a time “t”, variation of a time tobreakdown of each product is small. Incidentally, in the Weibullplotting, the farther a linear line moves to the right, the longer atime to breakdown of each product becomes.

When applying to the multilayer ceramic capacitor 1 according to thepresent embodiment, the larger the Weibull coefficient “m” is, thesmaller variation of high-temperature load lifetime is. The farther alinear line in FIG. 3 moves to the right, the longer an average ofhigh-temperature load lifetime becomes.

There is no limit for component contained in the dielectric layers 2 ofthe multilayer ceramic capacitor 1 according to the present embodimentother than barium titanate. As component other than barium titanate, forexample, a component composed of yttrium, magnesium, chromium, vanadium,calcium, and/or silicon may be contained, or a component composed of theother elements may be contained. Incidentally, component contained inthe dielectric layers 2 is measured by any method, and can be measuredby a X-ray diffraction device, for example.

Yttrium is contained preferably at 1.0 to 1.5 mol parts and morepreferably at 1.3 to 1.5 mol parts in terms of Y₂O₃ with respect to 100mol parts of barium titanate. With an amount of yttrium within the aboverange, it tends to become easy to control an average thickness of thegrain boundary phases 20 to be large and to control a thicknessvariation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 to be small. When an amountof yttrium is large, an average thickness of the grain boundary phases20 tends to be small, and a thickness variation σ of the grain boundaryphases 20 tends to be large. The more yttrium is contained, the betterelectrostatic capacity temperature characteristics tend to be.Dysprosium or holmium may be contained instead of yttrium. Dysprosium iscontained preferably at 1.0 to 1.5 mol parts and more preferably 1.3 to1.5 mol parts in terms of Dy₂O₃ with respect to 100 mol parts of bariumtitanate. Holmium is contained preferably at 1.0 to 1.5 mol parts andmore preferably 1.3 to 1.5 mol parts in terms of Ho₂O₃ with respect to100 mol parts of barium titanate. Even in case of dysprosium andholmium, with an amount thereof within the above range, an averagethickness of the grain boundary phases 20 tends to be large, and athickness variation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 tends to be small.

Magnesium is contained preferably at 1.8 to 2.5 mol parts and morepreferably at 1.8 to 2.2 mol parts in terms of MgO with respect to 100mol parts of barium titanate. With an amount of magnesium within theabove range, it tends to become easy to control an average thickness ofthe grain boundary phases 20 to be large and to control a thicknessvariation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 to be small. The larger anamount of magnesium is, the larger an average thickness of the grainboundary phases 20 tends to be and the smaller a thickness variation σof the grain boundary phases 20 tends to be. The more magnesium iscontained, the better high-temperature load lifetime tends to be. Theless magnesium is contained, the better relative permittivity tends tobe.

Chromium is contained preferably at 0.2 to 0.7 mol parts and morepreferably at 0.2 to 0.4 mol parts in terms of Cr₂O₃ with respect to 100mol parts of barium titanate. With an amount of chromium within theabove range, it tends to become easy to control an average thickness ofthe grain boundary phases 20 to be large and to control a thicknessvariation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 to be small. The larger anamount of chromium is, the larger an average thickness of the grainboundary phases 20 tends to be and the smaller a thickness variation σof the grain boundary phases 20 tends to be. The more chromium iscontained, the better high-temperature load lifetime tends to be. Theless chromium is contained, the better relative permittivity andelectrostatic capacity temperature characteristics tend to be.Incidentally, manganese may be used instead of chromium. Manganese iscontained preferably at 0.2 to 0.7 mol parts and more preferably at 0.2to 0.4 mol parts in terms of MnO with respect to 100 mol parts of bariumtitanate. Even in case of manganese, with an amount thereof within theabove range, an average thickness of the grain boundary phases 20 tendsto be large, and a thickness variation σ of the grain boundary phases 20tends to be small.

Vanadium is contained preferably at 0.05 to 0.2 mol parts and morepreferably at 0.05 to 0.10 mol parts in terms of V₂O₅ with respect to100 mol parts of barium titanate. With an amount of vanadium within theabove range, it tends to become easy to control an average thickness ofthe grain boundary phases 20 to be large and to control a thicknessvariation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 to be small. The larger anamount of vanadium is, the larger an average thickness of the grainboundary phases 20 tends to be and the larger a thickness variation σ ofthe grain boundary phases 20 tends to be. The larger an amount ofvanadium is, the better high-temperature load lifetime and electrostaticcapacity temperature characteristics tend to be. The smaller an amountof vanadium is, the better relative permittivity tends to be.

Calcium is contained preferably at 0.5 to 2.0 mol parts and morepreferably at 0.5 to 1.5 mol parts in terms of CaO with respect to 100mol parts of barium titanate. With an amount of calcium within the aboverange, it tends to become easy to control an average thickness of thegrain boundary phases 20 to be large and to control a thicknessvariation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 to be small. The larger anamount of calcium is, the larger an average thickness of the grainboundary phases 20 tends to be and the larger a thickness variation σ ofthe grain boundary phases 20 tends to be. The more calcium is contained,the better high-temperature load lifetime tends to be. The less calciumis contained, the better electrostatic capacity temperaturecharacteristics tend to be.

Silicon is contained preferably at 1.65 to 3.0 mol parts and morepreferably at 1.7 to 2.5 mol parts in terms of SiO₂ with respect to 100mol parts of barium titanate. With an amount of silicon within the aboverange, it tends to become easy to control an average thickness of thegrain boundary phases 20 to be large and to control a thicknessvariation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 to be small. The larger anamount of silicon is, the larger an average thickness of the grainboundary phases 20 tends to be and the larger a thickness variation σ ofthe grain boundary phases 20 tends to be. The more silicon is contained,the better high-temperature load lifetime tends to be. The less siliconis contained, the better relative permittivity and electrostaticcapacity temperature characteristics tend to be.

Furthermore, a grain diameter of the ceramic particles 12 and 12′ is notlimited, but d50 is preferably set to be 0.47 μm or less. When d50 ismade small and set to be 0.47 μm or less, it tends to become easy tocontrol an average thickness of the grain boundary phases 20 to be largeand to control a thickness variation σ of the grain boundary phases 20to be small. The larger d50 is, the smaller an average thickness of thegrain boundary phases 20 tends to be and the larger a thicknessvariation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 tends to be. The lower limitof d50 is preferably set to be 0.26 μm or more. The larger a graindiameter of the ceramic particles 12 and 12′ is, the more relativepermittivity tends to improve. The smaller a grain diameter of theceramic particles 12 and 12′ is, the more electrostatic capacitytemperature characteristics tend to improve. Samples whose chip sidesurfaces have been subjected to mirror polishing are observed by FE-SEMto obtain an image magnified by 30000 times, and a grain diameter of theceramic particles 12 and 12′ is measured from an equivalent circlediameter of particles obtained from the image. Incidentally, d50 refersto a diameter of grain size at which an integrated value is 50%.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a mole ratio (R₂O₃/SiO₂) betweenan amount of rare earth in terms of R₂O₃ and an amount of silicon interms of SiO₂ is preferably set to be 0.40 or more and 0.79 or less, andis more preferably set to be 0.40 or more and 0.60 or less. WhenR₂O₃/SiO₂ is set to be 0.40 or more and 0.79 or less, an averagethickness of the grain boundary phases 20 tends to be large, a thicknessvariation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 tends to be small, andhigh-temperature load lifetime, variation of high-temperature loadlifetime, and electrostatic capacity temperature characteristics tend toimprove. When R₂O₃/SiO₂ is large, an average thickness of the grainboundary phases 20 is easy to be small. When R₂O₃/SiO₂ is small, athickness variation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 is easy to belarge.

A thickness of the dielectric layers 2 is not limited, but is preferably2 to 10 μm per one layer.

The number of lamination of the dielectric layers 2 is not limited, butis preferably about 300 to 400 layers. The upper limit of lamination isnot limited, but is about 2000 layers, for example.

Internal Electrode Layer 3

A conductive material contained in the internal electrode layer 3 is notlimited, but a comparatively low-cost base metal can be employed, as aconstituent material of the dielectric layer 2 is reduction resistant.Ni or an Ni alloy is preferable as the base metal employed as theconductive material. An alloy of Ni and one kind or more selected fromMn, Cr, Co, and Al is preferable as the Ni alloy, and an Ni amount inthe alloy is preferably 95 wt % or more. Incidentally, about 0.1 wt % orless of various kinds of trace components, such as P, may be containedin the Ni or Ni alloy. A thickness of the internal electrode layer 3should be appropriately determined according to application or so, butis preferably about 1 to 1.2 μm.

External Electrode 4

A conductive material contained in the external electrode 4 is notlimited, but low-cost Ni, Cu, or an alloy of these can be employed inthe present invention. A thickness of the external electrode 4 should beappropriately determined according to application or so, but is normallypreferably about 10 to 50 μm.

Method of Manufacturing Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor 1

The multilayer ceramic capacitor 1 of the present embodiment ismanufactured similarly to conventional multilayer ceramic capacitors bypreparing a green chip with an ordinary printing method or sheet methodusing a paste, firing this, and then firing this after externalelectrodes are printed or transferred thereon. This manufacturing methodwill be described specifically below.

First, a dielectric raw material (mixed raw material powder) containedin a dielectric layer-dedicated paste is prepared, and this is made intoa coating to prepare the dielectric layer-dedicated paste.

First, a raw material of barium titanate and a raw material of rareearth compound are prepared as dielectric raw materials. As these rawmaterials, oxides of the above-described compositions or mixtures andcomposite oxides thereof can be employed, but a mixture of variouscompounds appropriately selected from, for example, carbonates,oxalates, nitrates, hydroxides, organic metallic compounds and the like,which become the above-described oxides or composite oxides afterfiring, can be also employed.

It is possible to employ a barium titanate raw material manufactured bya variety of methods, such as liquid phase methods (e.g., oxalatemethod, hydrothermal method, alkoxide method, sol-gel method etc.), inaddition to a so-called solid phase method.

A BET specific surface area value of the barium titanate raw materialpowder is preferably 2.0 to 5.0 m²/g, and is more preferably 2.5 to 3.5m²/g. With a BET specific surface area value within the above range, itbecomes easy to favorably control an average thickness and a thicknessvariation σ of the grain boundary phases 20. The larger a BET specificsurface area value is, the larger an average thickness of the grainboundary phases 20 tends to be and the smaller a thickness variation σof the grain boundary phases 20 tends to be.

The surface of the raw material powder of barium titanate may be coatedwith at least the raw material powder of rare earth compound. Thiscoating method is not limited, and a well-known method is employed. Forexample, the coating may be performed by turning the raw material powderof rare earth compound into a solution and thermally processing thissolution. The surface of the raw material powder of barium titanate maybe coated with a raw material powder of another component.

The amount of each compound in the dielectric raw material should beappropriately determined such that an average thickness and a thicknessvariation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 mentioned above are obtainedafter firing. Incidentally, there is normally no change in compositionof the dielectric ceramic composite between before and after firing.

Apart from a barium titanate powder, a barium compound powder (e.g., abarium oxide powder, or a powder to be barium oxide by firing) may beadded to the above-described dielectric raw material. There is no limitfor an addition amount of the barium compound powder, and the bariumcompound powder may not be added. When adding the barium compoundpowder, an addition amount thereof can be 0.20 to 1.50 mol parts interms of BaO with respect to 100 mol parts of barium titanate, forexample. Relative permittivity tends to be good by adding the bariumcompound. The larger an amount of the barium compound is, the smaller anaverage thickness of the grain boundary phases 20 tends to be and thesmaller a thickness variation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 tends tobe. The larger an amount of the barium compound is, the betterelectrostatic capacity temperature characteristics tend to be.

In the present embodiment, when using oxides of each element as rawmaterial powders of the barium compound, calcium compound, and siliconcompound, these powders may be prepared respectively in the form of BaOpowder, CaO powder, and SiO₂ powder, or may be prepared in the form of acomposite oxide (Ba, Ca) SiO₃ powder (BCG powder). Incidentally, thereis no limit for the composition of (Ba, Ca) SiO₃, that is, a contentratio of Ba, Ca, and Si.

Now, d50 of the dielectric raw material is not limited, but ispreferably 0.45 μm or less. When d50 of the dielectric raw material is0.45 μm or less, it becomes easy to control d50 of the ceramic particlesafter firing to 0.47 μm or less. The larger d50 of the dielectric rawmaterial is, the better relative permittivity tends to be. The smallerd50 of the dielectric raw material is, the better high-temperature loadlifetime and electrostatic capacity temperature characteristics tend tobe.

The dielectric layer-dedicated paste may be an organic-based coatingmade by kneading the dielectric raw material and an organic vehicle, ormay be a water-based coating.

The organic vehicle is made by dissolving a binder in an organicsolvent. The binder used for the organic vehicle is not limited, andshould be appropriately selected from various ordinary binders such asethyl cellulose and polyvinyl butyral. The organic solvent used is notlimited either, and should be appropriately selected from variousorganic solvents, such as terpineol, butyl carbitol, aceton, andtoluene, according to a method utilized, such as a printing method andsheet method.

When the dielectric layer-dedicated paste is configured as a water-basedcoating, the dielectric raw material and a water-based vehicle made bydissolving the likes of a water-soluble binder or dispersing agent inwater are kneaded. The water-soluble binder employed in the water-basedvehicle is not limited, and for example, polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose, awater-soluble acrylic resin and the like should be employed.

An internal electrode layer-dedicated paste is prepared by kneading theabove-described organic vehicle and either a conductive materialcomposed of the above-described various kinds of conductive metals andalloys or various kinds of oxides, organic metal compounds, resinates,and the like to be the above-described conductive material after firing.Further, a common material may be contained in the internal electrodelayer-dedicated paste. The common material is not limited, butpreferably has a composition similar to the main component.

An external electrode-dedicated paste is prepared similarly to theabove-described internal electrode layer-dedicated paste.

The amount of the organic vehicle in each of the above-described pastesis not limited, and an ordinary amount (e.g., binder: about 1 to 5 wt %,solvent: about 10 to 50 wt %) is selected. If necessary, additivesselected from various dispersing agents, plasticizing agents,dielectrics, insulators, and so on may be contained in each paste. Thetotal amount of these additives is preferably 10 wt % or less.

When a printing method is employed, the dielectric layer-dedicated pasteand the internal electrode layer-dedicated paste are printed on asubstrate of PET or the like, laminated, and cut in a predeterminedshape, after which the cut portions are peeled off from the substrate toobtain green chips.

When a sheet method is employed, a green sheet is formed using thedielectric layer-dedicated paste, the internal electrode layer-dedicatedpaste is printed and an internal electrode pattern is formed on thisgreen sheet, after which these are laminated to obtain a green chip.

Debinding treatment is performed on the green chip before firing. Asdebinding conditions, a temperature increase rate is preferably 5 to300° C./hour, a holding temperature is preferably 180 to 400° C., and atemperature holding time is preferably 0.5 to 24 hours. A debindingatmosphere is air or a reducing atmosphere. The higher a holdingtemperature during debinding is and the longer a holding time duringdebinding is, the larger an average thickness of the grain boundaryphases 20 tends to be and the smaller a thickness variation σ of thegrain boundary phases 20 tends to be.

In firing of the green chip, a temperature increase rate is preferably200 to 600° C./hour, and is more preferably 200 to 500° C./hour. Withsuch a temperature increase rate, it becomes easy to favorably controlan average thickness of the grain boundary phases 20 and a thicknessvariation σ thereof. The larger a temperature increase rate is, thesmaller an average thickness of the grain boundary phases 20 tends to beand the smaller a thickness variation σ of the grain boundary phases 20tends to be.

A holding temperature during firing is preferably 1200 to 1350° C. andis more preferably 1220 to 1300° C., and its holding time is preferably0.5 to 8 hours and is more preferably 2 to 3 hours. When a holdingtemperature is 1200° C. or higher, the dielectric ceramic compositebecomes easy to be sufficiently densified. When a holding temperature is1350° C. or lower, it becomes easy to prevent a break of an electrodedue to abnormal sintering of the internal electrode layer, deteriorationof capacity temperature characteristics due to diffusion of an internalelectrode layer constituent material, reduction of the dielectricceramic composition, and the like. The higher a holding temperature isand the longer a holding time is, the larger an average thickness of thegrain boundary phases 20 tends to be and the larger a thicknessvariation σ of the grain boundary phases 20 tends to be.

A firing atmosphere is preferably a reducing atmosphere, and ahumidified mixed gas of N₂ and H₂ can be employed as an atmospheric gas,for example.

An oxygen partial pressure during firing should be appropriatelydetermined according to a kind of conductive material in the internalelectrode layer-dedicated paste, but when a base metal of the likes ofNi or an Ni alloy is employed as the conductive material, an oxygenpartial pressure in the firing atmosphere is preferably 10⁻¹⁴ to 10⁻¹⁰MPa. When an oxygen partial pressure is 10⁻¹⁴ MPa or higher, it becomeseasy to prevent the conductive material of the internal electrode layerfrom causing abnormal sintering, and it becomes easy to prevent theinternal electrode layer from suffering a break. When an oxygen partialpressure is 10⁻¹⁰ MPa or lower, it becomes easy to prevent oxidation ofthe internal electrode layer. A temperature decrease rate is preferably50 to 500° C./hour. The higher an oxygen partial pressure is, thesmaller an average thickness of the grain boundary phases 20 tends to beand the smaller a thickness variation σ of the grain boundary phases 20tends to be.

After undergoing firing in a reducing atmosphere, the capacitor elementbody preferably undergoes annealing. The annealing is a treatment forreoxidizing the dielectric layer, which can significantly increasehigh-temperature load lifetime and thus improve reliability.

An oxygen partial pressure in an annealing atmosphere is preferably 10⁻⁹to 10⁻⁵ MPa. When an oxygen partial pressure is 10⁻⁹ MPa or higher, itbecomes easy to efficiently perform reoxidation of the dielectric layer.When an oxygen partial pressure is 10⁻⁵ MPa or lower, it becomes easy toprevent oxidation of the internal electrode layer. The higher an oxygenpartial pressure is, the smaller an average thickness of the grainboundary phases 20 tends to be and the smaller a thickness variation σof the grain boundary phases 20 tends to be.

A holding temperature during annealing is preferably 950 to 1150° C.When a holding temperature is 950° C. or higher, the dielectric layerbecomes easy to be sufficiently oxidized, and insulation resistance (IR)and IR lifetime become easy to improve. On the other hand, when aholding temperature is 1150° C. or lower, it becomes easy to preventoxidation of the internal electrode layer and a reaction between theinternal electrode layer and a dielectric base. As a result, it becomeseasy to improve electrostatic capacity, electrostatic capacitytemperature characteristics, IR, and IR lifetime. Incidentally, theannealing may consist of only a temperature increase process and atemperature decrease process. That is, temperature holding time may bezero. In this case, holding temperature is identical to maximumtemperature.

Regarding annealing conditions other than these, a temperature holdingtime is preferably 0 to 20 hours and is more preferably 2 to 4 hours,and a temperature decrease rate is preferably set to 50 to 500° C./hourand is more preferably set to 100 to 300° C./hour. For example,humidified N₂ gas or so is preferably employed as an atmospheric gas ofthe annealing. The higher an annealing temperature is and the longer anannealing time is, the larger an average thickness of the grain boundaryphases 20 tends to be and the larger a thickness variation σ of thegrain boundary phases 20 tends to be.

For example, a wetter or so is used for humidifying N₂ gas or mixed gasor so in the above-described debinding treatment, firing, and annealing.In this case, a water temperature is preferably about 5 to 75° C.

The debinding treatment, firing, and annealing may be performed insuccession, or may be performed independently.

The capacitor element body obtained as described above undergoes endsurface polishing by barrel polishing, sand blasting, or the like, forexample, is coated with the external electrode-dedicated paste and thenfired to form the external electrode 4. If necessary, a covering layeris formed on the surface of the external electrode 4 by plating or so.

The multilayer ceramic capacitor of the present embodiment thusmanufactured is mounted, for example, on a printed board by solder orso, and is used in various kinds of electronic apparatuses, and so on.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described. Thepresent invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, andmay be variously modified within a scope not deviating from the purposeof the present invention.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, a multilayer ceramic capacitor wasexemplified as the ceramic electronic component according to the presentinvention, but the ceramic electronic component according to the presentinvention is not limited to a multilayer ceramic capacitor, and may beany ceramic electronic component having dielectric layers and electrodelayers. For example, a single-plate ceramic capacitor, a piezoelectricactuator, a ferroelectric memory, and so on, may be cited.

EXAMPLES

The present invention will be described below based on more detailedexamples, but is not limited thereto.

Example 1

First, a barium titanate powder was prepared. The barium titanate powderexpressed by a composition formula of Ba_(n)TiO_(2+n) was employed,where “n” satisfies 0.995≦n≦1.010, and the mole ratio of Ba and Tisatisfies 0.995≦Ba/Ti≦1.010. Hereafter, the composition formula ofbarium titanate will be described simply as BaTiO₃. Furthermore, a Y₂O₃powder as a yttrium raw material, a Dy₂O₃ powder as a dysprosium rawmaterial, a Ho₂O₃ powder as a holmium raw material, a MgCO₃ powder as amagnesium raw material, a Cr₂O₃ powder as a chromium raw material, a MnOpowder as a manganese raw material, a V₂O₅ powder as a vanadium rawmaterial, BaO as a barium raw material, CaO as a calcium raw material,and SiO₂ as a silicon raw material were prepared respectively.

Next, each of the prepared raw material powders was wet-blended andpulverized for 10 hours by a ball mill, and then dried to obtain a mixedraw material powder. A grain diameter of the raw material powder wasassumed to be a material grain diameter, and d50 of the material graindiameter was configured to be 0.40 μm.

Next, 100 weight parts of the obtained mixed raw material powder, 10weight parts of a polyvinyl butyral resin, 5 weight parts of dioctylphthalate (DOP) as a plasticizing agent, and 100 weight parts of analcohol as a solvent were blended by a ball mill to form a paste,thereby obtaining a dielectric layer-dedicated paste.

Apart from the above, 44.6 weight parts of Ni grains, 52 weight parts ofterpineol, 3 weight parts of ethyl cellulose, and 0.4 weight parts ofbenzotriazole were kneaded by a triple roll milling machine to form aslurry, whereby an internal electrode layer-dedicated paste wasprepared.

Then, a green sheet was formed on a PET film to have a thickness of 4.5μm after being dried using the dielectric layer-dedicated paste producedas above. Next, an electrode layer was printed with a predeterminedpattern on this green sheet using the internal electrode layer-dedicatedpaste, and then the sheet was peeled from the PET film, whereby a greensheet having the electrode layer was prepared. Next, a plurality of thegreen sheets having electrode layers was laminated and pressure-bondedto be made into a green laminated body, and this green laminated bodywas cut into a predetermined size, whereby a green chip was obtained.

Next, the obtained green chip underwent debinding treatment, firing, andannealing under the following conditions to obtain a multilayer ceramicfired body.

As debinding treatment conditions, temperature increase rate was 25°C./hour, holding temperature was 260° C., temperature holding time was 8hours, and atmosphere was in the air.

As firing conditions, temperature increase rate was 200° C./hour,holding temperature was 1200 to 1350° C., and holding time was 1 hour.Temperature decrease rate was 200° C./hour. Incidentally, atmosphericgas was a humidified N₂+H₂ mixed gas, and oxygen partial pressure wasconfigured to be 10⁻¹² MPa.

As annealing conditions, temperature increase rate was 200° C./hour,holding temperature was 1000° C., temperature holding time was 2 hours,temperature decrease rate was 200° C./hour, and atmospheric gas washumidified N₂ gas (oxygen partial pressure: 10⁻⁷ MPa).

Incidentally, a wetter was used to humidify the atmospheric gas duringfiring and annealing.

Next, an end surface of the obtained multilayer ceramic fired body waspolished by sand blasting, then Cu was applied as an external electrode,and a sample of the multilayer ceramic capacitor shown in FIG. 1 wasobtained. Size of the obtained capacitor sample was 3.2 mm×1.6 mm×0.6mm. Thickness of the dielectric layer was 3.6 μm. Thickness of theinternal electrode layer was 1.0 μm. The number of the dielectric layerssandwiched by the dielectric layers was four.

The obtained capacitor sample was subjected to measurement of d50 of thedielectric particles after firing, an average thickness of the grainboundary phases, a thickness variation σ of the grain boundary phases,high-temperature load lifetime HALT-η, and high-temperature loadlifetime variation HALT-m by the following method.

d50 of Dielectric Particles after Firing

Samples whose chip side surfaces had been subjected to mirror polishingwere observed by FE-SEM to obtain an image magnified by 30000 times, andd50 of the dielectric particles after firing was measured from anequivalent circle diameter of particles obtained from the image.Incidentally, the number of the sample particles was 500 to 2000.

Average Thickness and Thickness Variation σ of Grain Boundary Phases

STEM observation was performed on the cut surface of the dielectriclayer of the capacitor sample. A STEM image was photographed so that onegrain boundary phase measurable for thickness was included in a visualfield of 15×15 nm. 10 STEM images were photographed at respectivelydifferent observation points per one sample. In each STEM image,thicknesses of the grain boundary phases were measured by visualobservation and averaged to calculate an average thickness of the grainboundary phases. A standard deviation σ was calculated from thethicknesses of the grain boundary phases in the respective STEM imagesand was defined as a thickness variation σ of the grain boundary phases.

High-Temperature Load Lifetime HALT-η

In the present example, the capacitor sample was held in an applicationstate of a DC voltage under an electric field of 25 V/μm at 200° C., anda time from the beginning of application to the drop of insulationresistance by one order was defined as a high-temperature load lifetime.In the present example, the above evaluation was conducted for 10capacitor samples, and its average value was defined as ahigh-temperature load lifetime HALT-η. 10 hours or longer was consideredto be good as evaluation standard. Results are shown in Table 1.

High-Temperature Load Lifetime Variation HALT-m

The measured results of high-temperature load lifetime were subjected tothe Weibull plotting with respect to the 10 capacitor samples, and a “m”value was obtained by a Weibull analysis soft. In the present example,this “m” value was defined as a high-temperature load lifetime variationHALT-m. HALT-m of 3.0 or more was considered to be good. Results areshown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Sample BaTiO3 CaO SiO2 Y2O3 Dy2O3 Ho2O3 MgO Cr2O3 MnO No. (molpart) (mol part) (mol part) (mol part) (mol part) (mol part) (mol part)(mol part) (mol part)  1* 100.00 0.80 3.00 1.00 — — 2.00 0.20 — 2 100.000.80 2.50 1.00 — — 2.00 0.20 — 3 100.00 0.80 3.00 1.50 — — 2.00 0.20 — 4100.00 0.80 2.50 1.50 — — 2.00 0.20 — 5 100.00 0.80 1.65 1.30 — — 2.000.20 — 6 100.00 0.80 2.50 1.50 — — 2.00 — 0.20 7 100.00 0.80 2.50 — 1.50— 2.00 0.20 — 8 100.00 0.80 2.50 — — 1.50 2.00 0.20 —  9* 100.00 0.802.00 2.00 — — 2.00 0.20 — Ceramic particle Average Sample V2O5 R2O3/grain diammer d50 thickness σ HALT-η No. (mol part) SiO2 (μm) (nm) (nm)(hr) HALT-m  1* 0.10 0.33 0.42 1.02 0.17 18.6 2.0 2 0.10 0.40 0.42 1.110.07 20.4 3.2 3 0.10 0.50 0.42 1.20 0.02 22.6 3.7 4 0.10 0.60 0.42 1.090.03 14.5 3.5 5 0.10 0.79 0.42 1.00 0.10 10.0 3.2 6 0.10 0.60 0.42 1.030.08 11.2 3.0 7 0.10 0.60 0.42 1.18 0.02 17.0 4.0 8 0.10 0.60 0.42 1.150.03 16.3 3.6  9* 0.10 1.00 0.42 0.88 0.09 1.0 3.4 *Comparative Example

Furthermore, with respect to sample numbers 1, 5, and 9 in Table 1,HALT-η and HALT-m of samples whose average thickness and thicknessvariation of the grain boundary phases were changed by respectivelychanging test conditions were calculated. Results are shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Sample BaTiO3 CaO SiO2 Y2O3 MgO Cr2O3 V2O5 R2O3/ No. (mol part)(mol part) (mol part) (mol part) (mol part) (mol part) (mol part) SiO21* 100.00 0.80 3.00 1.00 2.00 0.20 0.10 0.33 1a 100.00 0.80 3.00 1.002.00 0.20 0.10 0.33 5 100.00 0.80 1.65 1.30 2.00 0.20 0.10 0.79 5a*100.00 0.80 1.65 1.30 2.00 0.20 0.10 0.79 5b* 100.00 0.80 1.65 1.30 2.000.20 0.10 0.79 9* 100.00 0.80 2.00 2.00 2.00 0.20 0.10 1.00 9a 100.000.80 2.00 2.00 2.00 0.20 0.10 1.00 Ceramic particle Firing AverageSample grain diameter d50 temperature thickness σ HALT-η No. (μm) (° C.)(nm) (nm) (hr) HALT-m 1* 0.42 1240 1.02 0.17 18.6 2.0 1a 0.41 1220 1.010.08 10.5 3.1 5 0.42 1260 1.00 0.10 10.0 3.2 5a* 0.44 1300 1.02 0.1916.4 1.7 5b* 0.41 1220 0.95 0.06 6.0 3.4 9* 0.42 1280 0.88 0.09 1.0 3.49a 0.45 1340 1.06 0.10 15.7 3.0 *Comparative Example

According to Table 1 and Table 2, sample numbers 1a, 2 to 8 (excluding5a and 5b), and 9a, whose average thicknesses of the grain boundaryphases were 1.0 nm or more and whose thickness variations σ of the grainboundary phases were 0.1 nm or less, indicated that HALT-η was 10 hoursor longer and HALT-m was 3.0 or more regardless of kind and amount ofelements contained. That is, these samples had a high high-temperatureload lifetime and a small high-temperature load lifetime variation.

On the other hand, sample numbers 1 and 5a, whose thickness variations σof the grain boundary phases were too large, indicated that HALT-m wassmall. That is, high-temperature load lifetime variations were large.Sample numbers 5b and 9, whose average thicknesses of the grain boundaryphases were too small, indicated that HALT-η was small and thathigh-temperature load lifetime decreased significantly.

Incidentally, sample number 1a is a sample fabricated from sample number1 by changing the firing temperature thereof (firing temperature: 1240°C.) to a firing temperature of 1220° C., sample number 5a is a samplefabricated from sample number 5 by changing the firing temperaturethereof (firing temperature: 1260° C.) to a firing temperature of 1300°C., sample number 5b is a sample fabricated from sample number 5 bychanging the firing temperature thereof (firing temperature: 1260° C.)to a firing temperature of 1220° C., and sample number 9a is a samplefabricated from sample number 9 by changing the firing temperaturethereof (firing temperature: 1280° C.) to a firing temperature of 1340°C.

Example 2

Various characteristics of capacitor samples fabricated in the samemanner as Example 1 except for changing an amount of each component weremeasured. Results are shown in Table 3. Capacitor samples werefabricated from sample number 13 in Table 3 by changing a material graindiameter d50 in a range of 0.25 to 0.45 nm, and various characteristicswere measured. Results are shown in Table 4. All of the samplesdescribed in Table 3 and Table 4 indicated that an average thickness ofthe grain boundary phases was 1.0 nm or more, a thickness variation σ ofthe grain boundary phases was 0.1 nm or less, and further HALT-m was 3.0or more. Hereinafter, each method of measuring relative permittivity μsand electrostatic capacity temperature characteristics TC will bedescribed.

Relative Permittivity ∈s

Relative permittivity ∈s of the capacitor samples was measured using aLCR meter at a temperature of 20° C. and at a frequency of 1 kHz.Results are shown in Table 1. Incidentally, ∈s≧1900 was considered to begood in the present example.

Electrostatic Capacity Temperature Characteristics TC

Electrostatic capacity of the capacitor samples was measured using athermostat and a LCR meter at temperatures of 25° C. and 125° C. Then, achange rate of electrostatic capacity at a temperature of 125° C. basedon an electrostatic capacity at a temperature of 25° C. was calculatedand defined as an electrostatic capacity temperature characteristic@125°C. Results are shown in Table 1. Incidentally, −15.0%≦TC@125° C.≦15.0%was considered to be good in the present example. It was confirmed thatall capacitor samples satisfying −15.0%≦TC@125° C.≦15.0% satisfied X7Rcharacteristics.

Evaluation

First, the problem of the present invention is not overcome by sampleswhose high-temperature load lifetime HALT-η was less than 10 hours. Thiscase was considered as x regardless of results of relative permittivityand electrostatic capacity temperature characteristics. Next, when ahigh-temperature load lifetime was 10 hours or longer, ⊚ was defined aswhere both relative permittivity and electrostatic capacity temperaturecharacteristics were good, ◯ was defined as where either relativepermittivity or electrostatic capacity temperature characteristics wasgood, and A was defined as where neither relative permittivity norelectrostatic capacity temperature characteristics was good(incidentally, Example 2 had no samples evaluated as Δ or x).Incidentally, ⊚, ◯, Δ, and x are more valued in this order.

TABLE 3 Sample BaTiO3 BaO CaO SiO2 Y2O3 MgO Cr2O3 V2O5 No. (mol part)(mol part) (mol part) (mol part) (mol part) (mol part) (mol part) (molpart)  2 100.00 1.20 0.80 2.50 1.00 2.00 0.20 0.10  3 100.00 1.20 0.803.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10  4 100.00 1.20 0.80 2.50 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10  5100.00 1.20 0.80 1.65 1.30 2.00 0.20 0.10 11 100.00 1.20 0.50 2.00 1.502.00 0.20 0.10 12 100.00 1.20 0.75 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10 13 100.001.20 0.80 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10 14 100.00 1.20 1.00 2.00 1.50 2.000.20 0.10 15 100.00 1.20 1.50 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10 16 100.00 1.202.00 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10 17 100.00 1.20 0.80 2.00 1.50 1.80 0.200.10 13 100.00 1.20 0.80 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10 18 100.00 1.20 0.802.00 1.50 2.20 0.20 0.10 19 100.00 1.20 0.80 2.00 1.50 2.50 0.20 0.10 13100.00 1.20 0.80 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10 20 100.00 1.20 0.80 2.00 1.502.00 0.30 0.10 21 100.00 1.20 0.80 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.60 0.10 22 100.001.20 0.80 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.70 0.10 23 100.00 1.20 0.80 2.00 1.50 2.000.20 0.05 13 100.00 1.20 0.80 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10 24 100.00 1.200.80 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.15 25 100.00 1.20 0.80 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.200.20 26 100.00 0.20 0.80 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10 27 100.00 0.50 0.802.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10 28 100.00 1.00 0.80 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10 13100.00 1.20 0.80 2.00 1.50 2.00 0.20 0.10 29 100.00 1.50 0.80 2.00 1.502.00 0.20 0.10 Ceramic particle grain Sample Y2O3/ diameter d50 HALT-ηTC@125° C. No. SiO2 (μm) (hr) εS (%) Determination  2 0.40 0.42 20.42160 −14.9 ⊚  3 0.50 0.42 22.6 1807 −11.7 ◯  4 0.60 0.42 14.5 1918 −10.1⊚  5 0.79 0.42 10.0 2229 −13.1 ⊚ 11 0.75 0.42 10.3 2109 −8.2 ⊚ 12 0.750.42 12.2 2019 −9.1 ⊚ 13 0.75 0.42 12.4 2011 −9.4 ⊚ 14 0.75 0.42 14.02023 −10.5 ⊚ 15 0.75 0.42 17.0 1946 −11.7 ⊚ 16 0.75 0.42 18.1 2054 −12.3⊚ 17 0.75 0.42 10.0 2066 −9.6 ⊚ 13 0.75 0.42 12.4 2011 −9.4 ⊚ 18 0.750.42 14.1 2001 −9.6 ⊚ 19 0.75 0.42 15.0 1881 −9.7 ◯ 13 0.75 0.42 12.42011 −9.4 ⊚ 20 0.75 0.42 14.3 2041 −9.8 ⊚ 21 0.75 0.42 15.5 2001 −11.4 ⊚22 0.75 0.42 15.8 1980 −11.8 ⊚ 23 0.75 0.42 11.3 2197 −14.5 ⊚ 13 0.750.42 12.4 2011 −9.4 ⊚ 24 0.75 0.42 14.0 2006 −7.5 ⊚ 25 0.75 0.42 20.11876 −6.1 ◯ 26 0.75 0.42 19.0 1898 −12.2 ◯ 27 0.75 0.42 17.2 1946 −11.6⊚ 28 0.75 0.42 14.1 2023 −10.7 ⊚ 13 0.75 0.42 12.4 2011 −9.4 ⊚ 29 0.750.42 10.4 2004 −8.0 ⊚

TABLE 4 Sample Material grain Ceramic particle grain HALT-η No. diameterd50 diameter d50 (hr) εS TC@125° C. Determination 31 0.25 0.26 21.2 1559−6.9 ◯ 32 0.30 0.32 19.1 1702 −8.2 ◯ 33 0.35 0.37 16.8 1769 −8.8 ◯ 130.40 0.42 12.4 2011 −9.4 ⊚ 34 0.45 0.47 10.2 2110 −10.4 ⊚

Table 3 and Table 4 show that relative permittivity and electrostaticcapacity temperature characteristics can be favorably controlled inaddition to high-temperature load lifetime by controlling composition ofdielectric composite and grain diameter of dielectric particles.

NUMERICAL REFERENCES

-   1 . . . multilayer ceramic capacitor-   2 . . . dielectric layer-   3 . . . internal electrode layer-   4 . . . external electrode-   10 . . . capacitor element body-   12, 12′ . . . ceramic particle-   20 . . . grain boundary phase

The invention claimed is:
 1. A ceramic electronic component comprising adielectric layer and an electrode layer, wherein the dielectric layercontains a plurality of ceramic particles and grain boundary phasespresent therebetween, a main component of the ceramic particles isbarium titanate, an average thickness of the grain boundary phases is1.0 nm or more, and a thickness variation σ of the grain boundary phasesis 0.1 nm or less.
 2. The ceramic electronic component according toclaim 1, wherein the dielectric layer contains barium titanate, yttrium,magnesium, chromium, vanadium, calcium, and silicon and an amount of theyttrium is 1.0 to 1.5 mol parts in terms of Y₂O₃, an amount of themagnesium is 1.8 to 2.5 mol parts in terms of MgO, an amount of thechromium is 0.2 to 0.7 mol parts in terms of Cr₂O₃, an amount of thevanadium is 0.05 to 0.2 mol parts in terms of V₂O₅, an amount of thecalcium is 0.5 to 2.0 mol parts in terms of CaO, and an amount of thesilicon is 1.65 to 3.0 mol parts in terms of SiO₂, provided that anamount of the barium titanate is 100 mol parts in terms of BaTiO₃. 3.The ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, wherein d50 ofthe ceramic particles is 0.47 μm or less.
 4. The ceramic electroniccomponent according to claim 2, wherein d50 of the ceramic particles is0.47 μm or less.
 5. The ceramic electronic component according to claim1, wherein the dielectric layer contains a rare earth element “R” andsilicon and a value of an amount of the “R” in terms of R₂O₃ divided byan amount of the silicon in terms of SiO₂ is 0.40 or more and 0.79 orless.
 6. The ceramic electronic component according to claim 2, whereinthe dielectric layer contains a rare earth element “R” and silicon and avalue of an amount of the “R” in terms of R₂O₃ divided by an amount ofthe silicon in terms of SiO₂ is 0.40 or more and 0.79 or less.
 7. Theceramic electronic component according to claim 3, wherein thedielectric layer contains a rare earth element “R” and silicon and avalue of an amount of the “R” in terms of R₂O₃ divided by an amount ofthe silicon in terms of SiO₂ is 0.40 or more and 0.79 or less.
 8. Theceramic electronic component according to claim 4, wherein thedielectric layer contains a rare earth element “R” and silicon and avalue of an amount of the “R” in terms of R₂O₃ divided by an amount ofthe silicon in terms of SiO₂ is 0.40 or more and 0.79 or less.